When Fate Pulled Us Back
by Pheo the Flame
Summary: Following the adventures of Monica Cregg and Nevaeh Kastelic, two 'average' teenage girls, who are about to be pulled into a world that before, they could only dream of. But will it bring them closer together, or tear them completely apart?
1. Chapter 1

**When Fate Pulled Us Back**

Disclaimer: No, I'm sorry, I don't own DN Angel. In fact, in this fic, I only own Nevaeh!

AN: Okay, so this is a collab fic between me and Fate12343, who is the voice of Monica Cregg. We'll be switching off between chapters, so this is going to be almost like a published role-play book sort of thing. I hope you have fun reading!

AAN: (Another Authors Note) I didn't use a spell check on the conversation, since it's just the two girls messaging back and forth… probably unprofessional on my part, but I wanted it to look natural. Anyway, I swear I'm done now, enjoy!

…

"Nevaeh, wake up." My mom's voice cut through my dreams, (stabbing my teacher with a fork, quite pleasant) and I opened my eyes to see a glass of water and two pills. "Take your pills now…" she tried to sound apologetic, but I had a feeling she really couldn't care less. She hadn't wanted a schizophrenic daughter, but had I _asked _to be one? No, and she shouldn't blame me for it. I sat up and straightened my shirt (yes, I sleep in my clothes. No, not the ones I wear to school…) before taking the pills. I was tempted to swallow them dry, just to see her reaction, but I knew I'd be miserable for the rest of the day. I reached for the water and swallowed both pills, wincing as they slid down my throat with a feeling I doubted I would ever get used to. Those were for my psychosis and hallucinations. I hate both of them, but the pills slightly more. Besides, you've never heard some of those voices… they're quite sympathetic sometimes.

Anyway, after she was gone I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed whatever I'd be wearing for the day, (I'd forgotten exactly what during the night) and stumbled to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I was dressed and combing my straight amber hair. With a noise of annoyance, I saw that the black-tipped ends were brushing against my shoulders. I'd have to go get a trim soon…

It looked like I was wearing the school uniform again. I kept forgetting about that… I hated our uniform, but at least the gray blazer, navy blue blouse and pleated, plaid, knee length skirt didn't look as bad on me as other people. Besides, today was the last day. Then it would be over. Middle school, the year, the uniform… they'd all be gone. For good.

"Nevaeh!" My mom yelled, "Hurry up, we're going to be late!" I quickly did up the final few buttons on my blouse and stepped into my boots. I suppose I forgot to mention those to you… Well, no matter. I just like wearing boots.

Makeup? None.

Nail polish? None.

All was well. "Mom," I yelled back, "I've still got another hour! You're reading the clock wrong!" I loved that old binary clock… even though I couldn't remember how we'd gotten it or why we kept it. No one in the house could read it, not even me. But I had a _normal_ watch, which I had looked at just before I'd gone to get changed. It was six thirty, and I left for school at half past seven.

"We need a normal clock!" She replied. "I've got toast!" I laughed to myself. We didn't get along most of the time, but today… today things seemed good.

It's almost as though she knew she would never see me again.

**...**

After eating a piece of toast, I was sitting in front of my computer, fingers on the keyboard, tapping away at messages I was sending out. Finally, I finished one to a teacher, explaining that 'no, I was not particularly interested in doing community service over the summer, I had plenty to do already, thanks for the offer though.' Of course, that was a lie, but still… I really wasn't a 'people person'. After clicking the 'send' button, I closed my inbox and logged into Facebook.

Ah, it looked like Monica was on… I stretched my fingers before opening a chat window.

'Egh, mornin' Monica...' I typed, yawning, 'How've you been? Last day of school, thank god... so sick of getting up every freaking morning with pills and a glass of water shoved in my face...' Of course, just because school was out didn't mean I didn't have to take my pills, but my mom would let me go back to sleep afterwards in the summer.

She replied almost instantly. 'Ehe.. YAY! Last day! :) mornin' to you to Nevaeh. I've been good. Sorry I was gone yesterday, had the last school soccer game. We won, again. :P Yea.. Sucks about the pills huh?' Haha, that was Monica for you. Cheery, even in the mornings, sporty, and my complete opposite.

I sighed and slapped out, 'Seriously. They're a pain, but I guess it's better than hearing voices telling me to stab the teachers to death all day... Cool about the game though. :) S'pose you kicked the winning goal?' I rolled my eyes, knowing the answer would be yes, and hit enter.

A minute later, her reply: 'Oh how I would love to stab this one math teacher... Yea.. I did. :) The medal's are so cool! I'll post some pictures of our school teams and the medals on facebook soon!' See? What did I tell you?

'Haha, like I'll be around... But still, just one more day and then I'm out. Thank you God for creating summer vacation.'

"_Die…" _I jumped and whirled around. I hadn't ever heard this voice before… funny, but it sounded familiar. I guessed my pills hadn't taken effect yet. But it had been almost twenty minutes… A 'ding' from the computer alerted me to Monica's reply.

'Aha, same. I've got alot to do this summer, like camp, birtdays.. Wee... :/ YES! THANK GOD! Oh.. I got to go soon.. I get out early so, I'll talk to you after.. The bus is going to be here soon.. Hey, I uploaded some more fanfictions for DNA.. OH CRAP! Got to go.. Mom's telling me to hurry the freak up..Give me a break.. Ok, talk to you later!' Yikes. She typed that up _fast… _

"Nevaeh, come on!" My mom yelled, "I've got to get to work!"

I was just going to reply when someone screamed. I jumped three feet out of my chair, whirled around, and threw my mouse at the wall. Thankfully, it fell short and hit my bed without breaking, but _what _had that been? Putting on a cool(er) façade, I typed a quick goodbye.

'It's not like I've got much to do over the summer... but yeah, my mom's saying the same thing. I'm starting to wonder if she got my pills mixed up with the asprin again though... keep hearing voices. Whatevs, later!'

I logged out and tried to compose myself. I'd heard voices before. I'd heard screams. It was all part of being schizophrenic. I just had to live with it until my pills took effect. _Please, please let that be soon… _I normally didn't mind the voices, which I had dubbed One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Mastercard, (don't ask) but this was a new one. No… _two _new ones; that scream had been a different tone. Was I really going crazy? I grabbed a large, circular pendant from my dresser –a large golden watch, with the face on one side and a long black scythe on the other, the blade and end of it sticking out, away from the metal. I tugged it over my head as I ran out of my room, tucking it into my shirt as I ran downstairs. It was my good luck charm, and I never went anywhere without it. (My mom and I got into a huge fight when I wore it to a wedding… I ended up keeping it in a small handbag, but still, it had been with me.)

As I stepped out of the front door and jogged to the car, I felt myself relax. I'd be at school soon. I'd get to see the idiots I called classmates one more time, slam my rattling locker door shut for good, say goodbye to all the teachers… (well, maybe not) and finally, finally, walk out of middle school forever. I was in high spirits by the time the red Pontiac pulled up next to the old brick building.

"Bye Nevaeh," my mom said, "I'll see you at noon, okay?" I nodded and leapt out of the door, glad that we didn't need to bring our backpacks today. Last day, no notebooks, no huge, ten-ton backpack weighing me down, and we got out at noon! Nothing could be better. I bent and snatched up a long, thin branch, twirling it between my fingers, simply thinking as I walked along. No one came up to me and said hello, or waved at me, or looked at me twice. My mom worried about me not having friends, but I told her not to worry, that I enjoyed being left to my thoughts. Of course, she would still introduce me to different people from time to time, but we'd always just say a quick 'hello' and drift away from each other. Then she allowed me to open a Facebook account, and I'd met Monica. I can't even remember how, but it didn't matter; at least, not now.

A few steps later, I slipped into my normal corner of the school grounds, which was always shadowy and cool and peaceful in the mornings. Perfect for me. I was alone, alone in body, mind, and soul; alone in my deepest thoughts.

This morning, like so many others, I thought about my father.

I didn't know him; he had walked out on my mother before I was born. But she had shown me pictures, and told me about him. He was handsome, with blonde hair and bright amber eyes, and, according to my mom, though slightly intimidating sometimes, he was funny and kind. I had asked her once why he had left. Only once, because she had told me.

My father had also been schizophrenic. He had always managed to get along with his disease, fighting and laughing with the voices in his head whenever they appeared between pills, writing music and occasionally locking himself in his room when he got too out of control, but… one day he had almost killed my mother. She had locked herself in the bathroom, terrified, while she waited for him to calm down; waited for almost an hour. And when he had, he had been so ashamed, or so she had told me, that he walked out. He walked out and never came back.

I hated him for that, for leaving us. But I could understand, somehow, why my mom hated my disease, hated, at times, me. I could understand why she made sure I always took my pills, always was calm. She didn't want me to have to go through what my father did. She didn't want me to hurt someone I knew just because of who I was.

I sat in the corner of the grounds, thinking and letting my thoughts spread around my mind, until the bell rang. For the last time, I stood reluctantly and walked over to the doors, where a crowd was forming, trying to get in. This was it, finally. The next time I walked out of those doors, I'd never have to go back in. I smiled. It was about time.

I didn't go to my locker, seeing as how I'd be 'emptying' it later today (in truth, it was completely clean, I didn't stick pictures or anything to my door), but instead went straight to my first class, where I took my seat in the back. As the other students filed in, I overheard several 'can you believe it's the last day of school?' s, and a few 'oh, don't mention that!' s. I just sat in the back, pleasantly ignored. I rested my head on my arms and watched through half-lidded eyes as the teacher came in with a few stragglers, calling the class to order.

But, I suppose you didn't come here to read about my school day, did you? I'll fast-forward a bit, to when I left.

I was in my final class. We hadn't done anything today, the teachers had let us chat and hang around together, or in my case, write and daydream in a corner, unnoticed. Now I was again sitting with my head in my arms, watching the clock like a cat. One minute… one minute until I was gone from this torturous hell forever. Forty-five seconds now… thirty… twenty… ten… five…

The bell rang as I leapt out of my chair, away from my desk, and flew out of the classroom. I heard the teacher shout behind me, probably 'slow down!' but I paid her no attention. I was ready to be away from here; to be home and relax.

I was the first person out of the building, bursting through doors I would never open again with a smile on my face. It was good to be free.

"How was school?" My mom asked as I picked out her red Pontiac from the other cars in the parking lot and climbed in.

"Good," I said, "The teachers just gave us the day to relax, so no one did much." I didn't elaborate, didn't say anything as she handed me two pills and a bottle of water. I swallowed them, twitched my head in discomfort as one got stuck halfway down my throat, and swallowed more water. Blech, how I hated those pills!

The rest of the drive would have been silent, except that I had my iPod with me. I turned it on, and lost myself in Avenged Sevenfold's 'Nightmare'. Ah, sweet rock… or whatever the genre was. I didn't bother learning music genres, but instead grouped music into two categories: stuff I like, and stuff I didn't. It was much easier than searching around for a certain genre. We lived about twenty minutes away from the school, so I had time to flip around through my songs. After a few minutes, I settled for Emilie Autumn's sweet and morbid little ditty, 'Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches'. Not, and I repeat, not for the faint of heart or the easily disgusted.

After a few more songs, we reached home, and I clambered out of the passenger's seat. I was eager to talk some more with Monica, and tell her about the idiocy of some of my fellow students. I never called them my friends, because they weren't. They never had been either.

I ran upstairs and changed into a pair of loose black capris, a pair of black converse high tops, and a gray tank top. I let my scythe pendant dangle outside of my shirt this time, and checked the time before I slipped behind my computer. Twelve thirty exactly, and there was a message from Monica waiting for me. I stretched my fingers and settled into my computer chair.

She had sent me: 'OMG! Nevaeh! I cried! I'm such a child.. :( Anyways, I got ice cream and a pizza party for working with the litle kids.. Oh god I'm gonna miss them holding onto my arms and legs.. Hey, have you ever heard te song Real Gone? It's famous in the movie Cars.. I love that song.. My little brother keeps watching Cars over.. And over! So, I get use to the sound track. :)'

I rolled my eyes. If I had younger siblings (which I didn't, my mom had never remarried) and they watched movies almost on repeat like that, I'd never leave my room without my iPod. 'What a baby...' I tapped out, sighing, 'Though not as bad as some. One girl started crying when she got to school. Pathetic, huh? I started cheering when the final bell rang. It's good to be free. I can't stand little kids, but... hey, good for you. And no, I haven't. I'm not too into movies. Maybe I'll look at it though.'

I was staring at my necklace when she sent her reply. 'Yea.. Some of the guys started crying today too.. O.o It was scary.. Just saying! Hey we should try and get together you know? Chill or something. :) It would be cool!' I sighed. She kept forgetting…

"_Baka… you don't understand." _I jumped. It was the voice from this morning again. I'd _just _taken my pills too, so it wasn't that… I was going to go check the expiration dates on those bottles.

'Yeah, except we're in different countries... shame I can't just move to Canada... One sec, pills.' If nothing else, I'd take another one for the voices, but… I hated doing that, I felt like I depended on them even more than I already did.

"_There is more than I could explain… more that you could never understand…" _I jogged down the stairs and found my mom.

"Hello Nevaeh," she said as I stepped into the living room. She was flipping through an old cookbook, curled up in a dark green armchair. "Any dinner requests?" I shook my head.

"Mom, I keep hearing voices," I said, "I don't… I mean, I'm wondering if my pills are expired or something." I was becoming a bit frightened about the whole mess, because I never heard new voices nowadays. I mean, Mastercard was the last, and she came about five years previous. (Fine, since you're probably wondering, all she said was 'Mastercard' until I started calling her that.) (Yeah… not the best conversationalist.)

"What do you mean?" She asked, "I watched you take your pills." I nodded.

"They're new, if that means anything…" She sighed and stood up, shaking her brown hair out of her hazel eyes. I watched her as she walked over to the locked medicine cabinet (I felt a pang of resentment as I remembered that she still didn't trust me completely) and opened it.

"Neither of these is expired," she said, taking out and checking each bottle in turn, "Do you want one for the hallucinations?" See, she insisted on calling them 'hallucinations', while I was completely happy just branding them as voices. We were different in that way.

"Sure," I said after a moment, and she handed me one. I choked it down with some water, thanked her, and slipped upstairs. How I _hated _those pills.

'Sorry about that, I thought I was using expired meds or something... I keep hearing voices! It almost sounds like... like that one guy... Guard-something or other. Can't ever seem to recall it when I want to...' I was talking about the voice actor for Krad, whose name was about as foreign sounding as his voice. But one of the two definitely sounded like him. Then it came to me in a flash. 'Guardiola! That's it...' I realized how crazy I must have sounded. Thinking I'm hearing voice actors… yeah right. That was a new one, even for me.

I turned my computer volume up (so that I could listen for the 'ding' that alerted me to Monica's reply) and started digging through my room, looking around for something I knew I had. Something that I wanted to see, to hold, to remember… Digging under my bed, my fingers brushed my jewelry box. I grabbed it and pulled it out, mindful of the top. It had been my grandmother's, and I took as good care of it as I would anything else, if not slightly better. Flipping open the lid, I brushed my fingers over several thick, double chains, a silver pendant with a red stone set in the center (I slipped that over my head, it was a favorite of mine), and a shadowbox-styled locket with several shark's teeth in it. (No, I didn't wear that often.)

There was a gold padlock, with a sapphire and wings set on it, on a similar colored chain, several bracelets… where was it? I opened the doors on the front and started pulling out drawers. There were three, and I opened the middle one first. I seemed to remember putting it there… but no, just earrings. I pulled out a pair with red jasper stars hanging from wires, setting them aside. I'd wear those tomorrow, for a bit of color. Then I tried to open the bottom drawer. It stuck a bit, and at first I panicked, but with a bit of wiggling it came free and slid out.

And there it sat, dull pewter and sparkling bright ruby and onyx. Chains and charms hung off of it, and the two clasps were styled to look like scythes. It was a thick metal cuff, about four inches long, and the only thing I had from my dad. He'd given it to my mom, only a day before he left, and told her, and yes, my mom and I can both quote his words, 'Give this to our daughter.'

There are some things in life I don't pretend to understand. How my father had known I would be a girl before I was born, why he'd given this to my mom, I will never know. I flicked the two clasps open and slipped the cuff onto my arm, simply looking at it for a long moment. I wasn't sure what it would be called (style-wise, at least), but aside from the scythe clasps and chains on it, there were several charms: a wing, a cross, a black feather; a long spear, what looked to be a pewter casting of a clock showing midnight (though my mom said it was noon), and a very small, very thin, glass charm, with three dots of color on it: black, red, and blue. There was also a clear spot, splitting the piece into four.

Then, in the very middle, there was a spot that looked like the cover of a watch, but when it opened, there was an empty hollow space, perfect for storing small things. I'd kept it empty, always knowing that I'd know what to put in it when it came to me.

Only then did I realize Monica still hadn't replied to my message. I walked over to the computer, sat down, and typed out, 'You probably think I'm crazy...'

'O.O Geez.. Don't worry, I'm crazy too! :P' Amazing how quickly she replied to that… I sighed and began to type my answer.

'Haha, well, I think we mean different things by 'crazy'... :) Course, coming from a schizo like me, I guess that's obvious.' I wasn't sure what else I wanted to say, but there was something… something there. I grabbed my iPod and shuffled my songs, closing my eyes and relaxing as the rough, beautiful strains of Emilie Autumn's 'Manic Depression' tore through my eardrums. After a moment of listening, I typed some more. 'Listening to some of Emilie's music... she's just wonderful. Manic Depression is about how I'm feeling right now... Sort of slowed down but still crazed...' And that was true enough. I felt as though, if maybe I searched hard and fast, I could find those voices, but I was to slow, and everything was surrounding me… 'Oh, and the voices are gone... nice and quiet...'

It took Monica a few minutes to reply. 'Uhh... I think your voices just came to me.. It sounds like.. He's saying... 'Help me..'' I blinked. Something told me that she must have been lying, but… the time it had taken her to send this short message, and she sounded shocked…

'Funny, mine was saying 'die' over and over again. Just do what I did and grab your iPod... listen to lots of loud songs, and they'll be gone just like that!' I didn't want to tell her anything else I'd heard, because… well, I know it sounds stupid, but it felt like it was personal. Then a thought struck me. 'Wait, are you schizo? Maybe you should talk to a doctor... 'cause seriously, this sucks.'

'Ok.. I don't think I am.. O.O I'm listening to screamo... Uh.. I still here it.. He sounds like Dark from DN Angel... Have you.. Ever thaught that maybe, this magic stuff was real? I can still here his voice!'

'Psh, please. Magic is magic, but... it doesn't happen around us. We're... human. And really? Wait, didn't that one guy voice Krad? Wait, no. No. This is reality. We have rules here! Turn up the volume. Seriously, that can't really be him.'

Almost instantly, I got a reply. 'Alright I'll turn it up.. DUDE! I STILL FREAKING HERE HIM!  
>It's getting later... O.O<br>'Nevaeh! I just saw a flash of light! I've got my laptop with me right now! Here.. I'll send you a picture!' A few moments later, a small icon at the bottom of my screen alerted me to an email. I opened it, and opened the picture, but all I could see was a flash of light, like someone had taken a picture of a mirror without turning off the flash. 'SEE!'

'WTF? Yeah, okay... maybe we are going nutso. Like I need that pressure...' I sighed. It wasn't even one 'o' clock yet, and I wanted to go to sleep.

'AHH! MY WINDOW JUST BROKE!O.O Hold on.. Get by your cell! I'm loging off and calling you!' I blinked, then looked at the phone sitting next to me.

I knew from experience it took several seconds for a call from Canada to reach the U.S., so I took the few moments to type one more thought to Monica. 'You screamed too loud again? This is your fifth window of the year. Got my phone with me. Seriously, this is just freaky. Tempted to call the cops, but I'm afraid I'm hallucinating again.' I blinked as my hair brushed against my arm. Wait… my hair wasn't that long. 'DUDE WHAT THE HELL SOMETHING JUST TOUCHED ME'

A moment later, my phone began to vibrate. I picked it up instantly, not bothering to check the caller ID. I knew it was Monica. Aside from my mom, she was the only person who had my phone number. "Hey Monica," I said.

"Nevaeh!" She cried, sounding relieved to hear my voice (something I wasn't used to), "Something touched my shoulder… OMG! DUDE! I'M SCARED! Everyone's suddenly gone! And the sky's taking on a scary mist like color! WH-WHAT THE HECKS HAPPENING! AHH! ANOTHER WINDOW BROKE!" It took me about thirty seconds to process this information.

"Okay, calm down," I said, trying to make my voice sound soothing, "You're talking to me, so you must not be dying... it's peaceful on my end... haven't broken anything yet" I stood to go and push my jewelry box back under my bed, and the world spun. "Bleh... I feel kinda dizzy... like... really weird... and I can't... see straight all of a sudden... OhgodI'llberightback!" I dropped my phone and dashed off to the bathroom.

I came back several minutes later, and saw my phone sitting on my bed. I'd dropped it on the floor. "Alright," I muttered, "I don't know who or what you are, but you'd better get out of here." I grabbed my phone and picked it up, almost expecting the line to be dead. But no, there was Monica, swearing in Japanese and yelling at me, still on the other end of the line.

"Hey," I said, "Hey, I'm back, sorry… You can stop swearing…" Almost instantly, she fell silent. There was a long time where we both listened to the static caused by our breathing, which was quick and, on my part, extremely shallow. I was quite nervous, especially because my mom hadn't appeared to hear me running about upstairs. Normally she'd at least yell at me to walk.

It was then that I felt it: that strange, wrenching feeling in my back that made me feel as though someone had tied a rope around my waist and was pulling me in, towards them. "Monica," I said, "I'm getting a strange feeling… like something's pulling me towards itself. Like I'm supposed to be somewhere, and it's reminding me of the meeting."

"Yea…" she replied softly after a moment, "I do too. That voice is getting louder too… More clear. I think I'm gonna be sick now… I feel a sudden pull outside but… No one's around! It's all gray and shade. No people..." She trailed off as though doubtful, and I trailed my hand down the banister as I walked softly down the stairs.

"Mom," I called, holding a hand over the phone's speaker, "I'm going out!" My words echoed around the house, but I received no reply. "Mom?" I tried to walk into the kitchen to investigate, but was stopped by that strange feeling around my waist. I struggled against it, but it seemed as though it tightened the more I tried to get rid of it. Maybe if I grabbed the doorframe… But the moment I stretched my arm out, the cuff I was still wearing burned against my flesh. "There's no one here either," I told Monica, pulling my arm back as fast as I could and again following the pull of the invisible rope.

It was leading me outside. I paused at the door, staring out the small peephole. "Odd..." I said, "It's like dusk over here... and it's only about one in the afternoon... it feels like someone's got a rope around my waist and is pulling me in. I still don't hear anything anymore..." Monica was being quiet, something I had never associated with her. I was the quiet one… normally, but this was definitely not normal.

"Go with it," Monica said, sounding more serious than I had ever thought she could. "That might be our best bet… Gomen… I think I'm gonna go! I'm going to go after it!" Suddenly her tone switched to a strong, determined, powerful voice; something that made up my mind.

"Yeah," I said, "I think that's what I've got to do. I hope you're okay… I hope I'm okay…" A few seconds later, with my hand still on the doorknob, I hung up.

Then, slowly, have terrified and half… well, terrified, I mean, my mom did just turn up missing, I pushed open the door. The walkway from the door to the driveway was there, and so was the lawn and the driveway and everything else, but I was the only living thing I could see. There were no birds, no bugs… not even the neighbor's cat chasing said birds and bugs. It looked like midnight in a dead world.

I kept walking forward, now shaking despite the summer warmth. I pleaded for life to come back to the streets and the sky, but there was nothing, nothing and no one. Still, I followed the rope; the feeling that pulled me along against my wishes. I felt as though, maybe, if I followed it, I would find someone else. But I saw no one, and no one, and no one again. There was nothing, nothing, nothing here, nothing anywhere. My feet ached from walking, but still the feeling of being pulled forward did not cease.

I do not know how long I walked, it could have been only an hour, or a day, or a month, or a year. I was told later it was 'the distance between the worlds', however far that was. All I knew was that I kept walking, falling into a trance. Left, right, left, right, left, right…

It was the car that snapped me out of it. It drove by, noisy and kicking up dust, and made me jump. Something about that car seemed strange, but I shrugged it off. After all, what was normal today? But it was the first sign of life I'd seen for a while, and it ignited a spark of hope that made me feel stronger. I picked up my pace slightly, to a gentle jog that made me scuff up small clouds of dust with my shoes. The two charms I was wearing bounced about uncomfortably, so I tucked them into my shirt.

It was at least another hour before I slowed down, panting slightly, but turning as the rope pulled me. I brushed my hair out of my eyes, but then stopped dead. The same thing that was wrong with the car was wrong with my hand. It didn't look… real anymore. It looked like something someone had drawn. Like… a manga. I shook my head, and my hair again flew in front of my eyes. For a split second, I took comfort in the black-tipped ends, but then I jumped as I saw that, instead of amber, my hair was now red. Fire-engine red, with black tips.

Then there was a jerk on the rope, and I was forced to move forward again. Another jerk; I picked up a steady jog. I was now more determined than frightened; determined to find out what was happening to me. I hoped Monica was alright…

But then I saw _him_, and stopped dead. There he was, sitting in a tree, his back against the trunk, his feet resting on the branches.

He glanced up at me, and I took a step back. His eyes were cold and glistening, feline yellow, with slit pupils. His hair was long, and fell from where he was perched in the tree to the ground, where a golden cross just brushed the grass. (I was reminded of Rapunzel, though I had sense enough not to mention it.)

And, to add to the many things I'd found wrong with this day, a pair of feathered, white wings sprouted from his back.

"Ah Nevaeh," he said, "So glad you could come."

I stared at him for a long, long time before I spoke.

"Dad?"

…

AN: Alright, chapter one is finished! For once in my life, I am sorry about the length… I don't normally write stuff this long, but… I just couldn't stop! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Ok.. This is what happened too! Like.. The last day of school and stuff, AFTER the convo with Nevaeh! So.. I hope you enjoy all the work Pheo and I, Autumn, put into this. Here's chapter 2.. CALM DOWN! Geez.. **

**We do NOT own DN Angel... :'(**

I smiled as I got off the bus. I had taken all of my stuff home yesterday, so I un-did my lock and locked it on my belt. After that, I went up to class and sat on my desk, being one of the first ones there, and waited for my group to show. First, three boys from our class walked in. I wasn't one that they talked to so, I ignored them. That's when a girl named, Victor, and we liked to call her, walked in. I glared at her. She had been beating me up for awhile now and... I was getting mad. I had told the teacher, who was one of the best, and she put her in the hall, making her miss the movie.

After ten minutes of waiting, Winter walked in. "Monica!" She said.  
>"OH GOD! DON'T SCARE ME!" I said. People in the class laughed. I sighed. Is this what I get for being the youngest..?<p>

After school, I talked to Nevaeh! But... You already know everything, up to that strange pull, don't you…? Here's what happened on my end.

I hung up, raced out the door, and followed that feeling. I pulled out a picture of my dad and smiled. His unique purple hair and eyes making me smile. His smile... Matching mine. I almost tripped. My necklace with a purple gem on it was glowing, or so it seemed.. I blinked and put my hands out, jumped up, and kept running. Mom always said dad was a skilled man. Oh dad... I got to a cottage.. A place I liked to stay.. The gem looked, again, like it was glowing. I took it off and held it. "Dad.." I whispered. I walked in. "Mom was right.. You were handsome. Oh dad.. Why did you leave.."  
>"I had to." A voice said. I spun around. "Wow.. Monica.. You've grown so much.." He ran his hand over my hair and smiled. "My daughter."<br>"D-Dad..?" I asked shaking. "No... It can't be..."  
>"I'm glad to see you again." He smiled.<br>"Oh my gosh... It is you!" I hugged him and started crying. He hugged me back and stroked my hair.  
>"Monica... Calm down, sweetheart." I smiled. How nice it felt to be called 'sweetheart' by your long lost father. I took a step back and wiped my tears. "I see mom gave you the gem." I looked at the necklace in my hands. I nodded, too shocked to talk anymore. Besides, my voice would be all rusty.. "Can I see him?" <em>Him?<em> I handed the necklace to him. "Ah. Nice to have you back. Acinom. (That's Italian. I don't know what it means, even though I went through translate and stuff.) _Acinom..? That's Monica... Backwards? I'M NAMED AFTER A JEWEL!_ The gem blinked once. Then twice, matching it with the time it spoke.

**"Yes Sir." **I gasped.  
>"I-It can talk!" I pointed.<br>"Hmmmm? Oh yes. He can." Dad said. "Acinom, meet Monica. She will be in charge of you. Monica, meet your device -well, intelligent device- Acinom."

**"It's nice to meet you, Sir." **Once again all of the blinking matched the words.  
>"Oh! Nice to meet you!" I said. <em>Wait... He called me Sir.<em> As if dad could read my thoughts, he said;  
>"Acinom is a device. He's use to me as a driver, so, it might take him some time. Here. Look. Hold him in your hand." I held him in my hand, he begun to glow purple. <em>So I wasn't imagining it... <em>  
>"Dad..." I said. "NOW WHAT!" My whole body had started to glow purple. Like I was bathing in that magic.. That's when I realized… My brown hair now was blonde… The tips purple... That made me feel like I was going insane. "ACINOM! SET UP!" I threw the gem up slightly, all the magic from the both of us breaking through the roof. <p>

I landed softly on the ground, the cape flapping in the wind. My hair waving too. The black short dress, and knee high socks, with short leather boots, fit perfectly. The black tank-top was slightly big on me, but it was comfy. The same thing dad had around his wrists, I had on mine. The purple gem was now a staff. I opened my eyes. "Wh-WHAT!" Dad smiled.  
>"Now, was that so bad?"<br>"NANI? I'm..."

"Now... Let's go see your mom." I gasped.  
>"NOT LIKE THIS! What would people think? DAD~!"<br>"OK! Acinom?" Dad sounded somewhat upset...  
><strong>"Mode release." <strong>The barrier jacket left and the outside barrier came back into Acinom.  
>"That's it? It's over..." I said.<br>"Yes. Now it is. Come on. You have a long trip ahead of you..." Dad started walking towards home. I followed him.

"Why do you hang out in that cabin?"  
>"I always have." I said.<br>"Does your mother know?"  
>"No. No, she doesn't..."<br>"Do you think it hurts her? You don't tell her where you go. Do you think she worries?" I looked down and kept walking.  
>"I suppose it hurts her... I didn't think about that. I was always wondering when you'd come home. Not wondering if I had hurt mother by talking about you." My eyes started to sting. "When I was little, I'd ask, 'Is daddy coming home soon, mama..?' She would look so sad... I never really took into consideration that it was hurting her..."<p>

"Monica, you've got to trust me." Then it came to mind.  
>"Dad... Your name... Your voice... The way you look... Dark, Dark Mousy..." He went wide-eyed.<br>"Monica..."  
>"I can't... Stand it... KNOWING YOU'RE-" He covered my mouth.<br>"I know what I am, and I know it's bad... Geez, learn to whisper... We're in the streets ya know." I took his hand off my mouth.

"Sorry..." I whispered.  
>"For my kid," He opened the front door. "You sure don't have my qualities..."<br>"Well excuse me for meeting you for the first time about... 5 minutes ago!" I yelled. Mom came downstairs.  
>"Monica, what are you yelling... about..." She trailed off when she saw dad. "Da-Dark...?" She dropped the little box she was holding and ran over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, crying. Dark hugged her back. Mom was crying, which made me cry a bit too... "Dark! I missed you!"<br>"I missed you too... Monica's grown, you've changed..." He said, slight tears in his eyes. I smiled as the tears flowed down my cheeks. Then, the warmth of my tears grew cold. _Mom... My hair, my eyes, me... I've changed... Can't you see..?_ I wanted to talk, but I was too struck by everything that had happened... Mom has to know... My hair... MY EYES! JUST LET ME KNOW!

"Monica... Your eyes... Your hair..." I smiled. _Maybe... She did see it._ "Your eyes are red and your hair is a mess." My heart sank. _Or not..._ I sighed and went upstairs. I looked in the mirror,

My hair had leaves and things in it, and the color was messed up. I sighed. I hated straighteners... But right now, that's what I had to do! I ran to the bathroom, grabbed the straightener, a brush, and a comb, in case I wanted to tease my hair a bit... I started to brush it out, after removing the leaves and such. After it was all brushed out, I started to straighten it. I heard a noise from downstairs, and shuddered. Once I straightened my hair, I teased the back and a bit of the sides, giving me that Emo look with the hair I had now. I smiled, slipped on a black skirt, put in a fake lip piercing, a black tank top, and walked downstairs.

Dad just stared at me. My mom wasn't home anymore... "Monica..." He swallowed. "Wh-What are you wearing..?"  
>"I'm going EmoGoth dad." I said. Was he blushing..?

"Monica... No. Please no." I showed him my wrists. "WHEN DID YOU DO THAT?"  
>"Awhile ago..." I said. He grabbed my wrists.<br>"But they look so fresh..."  
>"Hey, It's not my problem I was upset. You left me."<br>"WELL NOW I'M HERE!" He yelled. I flinched and jerked my hand away. "I'm sorry..."  
>"I'll get packing..." I said going back upstairs.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one except Nevaeh. And she's not too happy about it.

Nevaeh: You're right. I'm not.

Me: Help…

…

Alright, look. I don't know why I said what I did, so don't ask. But this man (who my shocked mind had now decided looked quite like Krad Hikari)… this man just felt familiar. And the words slipped out. He sighed.

"Good that you recognize me," he said, "It saves me a lot of explaining. And you had the sense to bring that." He nodded toward my wrist, and I touched the cuff. "That's good. Now, follow me, Satoshi-sama will be getting worried…" He jumped out of the tree, his wings spreading slightly to slow his descent, and began walking. Satoshi-sama? There was no way this man was actually Krad. This was just an elaborate dream. Or maybe my pills had been expired and I was having some sort of full-blown hallucination.

"Why should I follow you?" I asked. "Let me go home!" Although I knew my mom would have a heart attack when she saw my hair, I wanted to go home. This was all too surreal; in fact, I almost pinched myself, stopping only because, if this was a dream, I wouldn't think of pausing to do so. And if this was a hallucination, it wouldn't do me any good.

The man didn't answer, but continued walking. And once again, I felt that odd, tugging sensation in my gut. I swore and stumbled after him, taking a last look behind me. I saw nothing but the dirt road I had walked on, and the tree. That tree… I didn't know it then, but that tree was the starting point of the rest of my life… and the ending one. So I stumbled after this man –my father –wondering what in the world would happen to me.

…

After about twenty minutes, I found the last bits of strength in my legs and jogged up to my father. (I'd never call him 'dad'.) "You never told me where we're going," I stated. He nodded. "So… are you planning on it?" A shake of the head this time.

"They thought you were schizophrenic," he said instead. I nodded. "You aren't." Before I could ask him what he meant by that, he continued. "You've got my temperament. I suppose your room was a mess?" I shook my head.

"It was the voices that got me the diagnosis." This elicited a laugh from the golden haired man. He didn't explain it, but pressed onwards, muttering something else about 'Satoshi-sama'. I felt like I was going to collapse. I was so tired… But no. I had to keep going. I wouldn't show any sign of weakness. But I felt like I was going to split in two. I was light-headed and dizzy, and barely stumbling along. Every inch of my body ached, especially my back, and there was a burning feeling in the center of my chest, right where my ribcage began to separate. It was, I realized a few seconds later, my necklace; my watch. The cuff on my arm was cool, as was the red stone set in the silver disk. Why was that? But the spots in front of my eyes did not allow me a chance to look at it before my vision finally went black.

…

When I woke up, I was laying on my stomach on a couch. I pushed myself up onto my elbows, ignoring the bolts of pain that shot through my back as I did so, and then upright. I crossed my legs and leaned my elbows onto my knees. My now bright red hair fell into my eyes and I blew it away impatiently. The first thing I noticed was what I was wearing. I could still feel the fabric of my school uniform against my skin, but I was wearing what looked like a long, black robe over it. I uncrossed my legs and stood up, deciding then and there that I would find my 'father' and beat the truth out of him. Of course, my legs didn't feel like agreeing with my brain, and quickly gave out.

"Milady!" I caught myself before my face hit the floor, and, leaning on my hands, I looked around for whoever had just spoken.

"Who's there?" I asked. There were several beats of silence, and then I saw a shadow move to my left. It was a giant black dog with glowing red eyes. A chain hung around its neck and leather cuffs attached to more broken chains were on its front legs. I barely bit back a scream. It appeared to be a Great Dane, and its voice, though deep, was very gentle and concerned when it spoke next.

"It is I, milady," the dog said. "My name is Goth." He turned his head into the shadows and seemed to disappear for a moment before holding out my watch pendant to me. "You can use this as a crutch, milady."

"That's a watch," I said dumbly. This was _too_ weird. But Goth shoved the watch into my hand anyway, and then nudged my fingers around it. Almost instantly, it began to glow and burn, and then seemed to shift. A moment later, I realized that the watch wasn't doing anything, but the scythe charm – the charm on the back was growing. It took less than thirty seconds, and I was holding a long scythe. It was plain black, made of a metal I knew at a glance I had never seen before. The blade, towering at least six feet above the floor, was long and silver and sharp. It glinted in the dim light.

"No milady," Goth said quietly, "That is your scythe. Look at your wings." My heart skipped a beat and I thought again about the pain (now much subsided) in my back. Then I reached my left hand (the one that wasn't holding the scythe) behind my back and touched something leathery. There was a point right at the joint of the wing, like a bat's claw. I imagined them spreading slightly. Nothing happened.

"Goth, how do I get them to work?" I asked. He walked over to me, and I noticed that his ears stood straight up, like a jackal's, and he wore a black collar studded with sharp-looking silver points. He walked behind me and leapt up on the couch.

And then he bit me. I yelped and tried to pull away, smacking him across the face with one of the dark brown leather wings. "Like that," he said, not sounding the least bit stunned or hurt. I examined the bite mark on my shoulder, but it wasn't there. "Milady, I could not hurt you if I wanted to," he said. "What you felt was a bite, but it healed immediately." I nodded and touched the spot again. There wasn't even a bit of pain. I ruffled my wings, now able to move them at will.

"Thanks Goth," I said. "Now let's figure out where the others are." He nodded his head, his eyes still glowing red. I looked around, taking in my surroundings a bit more. I could see everything in perfect detail, as though there was a floodlight shining over the whole room, driving the shadows away. I blinked, and I swear I could see through my eyelids. I later learned that I was doing just that.

Leaning heavily on my scythe, I walked out of the room. Goth walked right with me, never ahead or behind me. I wasn't quite sure where we were going, but I let instinct be my guide. This was one crazy hallucination, for sure, and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

"Milady?" Goth said quietly. I glanced down at him. "Milady, this is no hallucination." I absentmindedly stroked one of his ears, not thinking about how he had known my thoughts.

"It has to be," I whispered. "It has to be." What else could it be? At the time, I had no idea what was and what wasn't; I only had the basest idea as to where and what I then was: a confused girl with demon wings and bright red hair. One who was very much out of her element, with no way to return home. One who was very scared.

I turned a corner, and heard voices. One was heavily accented, the other quite cold. They seemed to be arguing, and I listened.

"Krad," the colder voice was saying, "I don't know how this happened, but you absolutely can_not _let her find out about her past! If she does…"

"If she does, Satoshi-sama," Krad's voice cut in, "You will never have to worry about me again. Or that idiot, Dark. He has gone to find his own daughter as well."

"The daughters of the Black Wings," Satoshi's voice muttered. "I can't believe it. How the hell can the two of you…?" I could almost picture him shaking his head. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know." I heard Krad laugh, and decided I had heard enough. I followed the laughter to a small dining room, where the two sat. Satoshi had short, ice-blue hair and eyes, just as he had in DN Angel. I began to worry even more for my mental health. A cold cup of coffee sat in front of him. Don't ask me how I knew it was cold.

Without waiting for either of them to acknowledge me, I said, "The two of you really owe me some answers." Satoshi jumped, and Krad glanced at me. "Yeah. Explain the wings and the hellhound and I might not kill you." Goth stepped into the room, but he wasn't the same dog. In fact, he didn't even appear to be the same creature. He was a creature that held only the barest traces of being a canine, made of nothing but shadow, with eyes like glowing red coals and teeth like sharpened ivory.

"Well," Satoshi said dryly, "You certainly have your father's temperament." I don't know where the dagger came from, but when I saw it, it was pinned in Satoshi's shoulder. As he gasped in pain (had he screamed? I couldn't remember) I laughed gently, and Goth walked back over to me and settled around my ankles, taking on his more canine appearance.

"Nevaeh," Krad snapped. I blinked, and looked around me. "You really must learn to control your temper. We are hunters, but we do not hurt him," he nodded towards Satoshi, "Or, as much as I _hate _to say it, the Niwa family. There are rules here as well." He walked over to Satoshi and pulled the blade out of his shoulder. "At least it's not poisoned," he said, "I should have figured this would happen." He was certainly talking to himself, but suddenly he turned to me. "You want answers?" I nodded. "That can be arranged. Sit down."

"I'll pass," I said without any inflection, even though my legs were still sore from walking and my back still throbbed from my wings. Krad shrugged and sat back down, leaving Satoshi to go bandage the stab wound I'd given him.

"I have visited your world from time to time," Krad began. "Yes, our worlds are connected. You walked the space between your world and this one yesterday, which would have been impossible if I had not been pulling you through with magic."

"Painful magic," I cut in, but Krad ignored me.

"I met your mother sixteen years ago, during my last trip to your world." I blinked, taking in the information without comment. "I had never really cared for humans before then. In fact, if you want to know, I had only ever felt fond of the Hikari's, for no reason other than they are my creators, before I met your mother." I could believe that. He didn't seem like a particularly friendly being. "She was… enchanting. I don't know how else to describe the way I felt for her." I remembered my mom telling me the same thing, how she had been so enchanted by him. It was rather painful to think about.

"So what happened then?" I asked, curious but not wanting to know at the same time. "Why did you leave?" I had _hated _growing up without a dad. I'd always ask mom about him, even when I was old enough to realize that it hurt her to talk about him. I just wanted to know.

"Dakota… she was carefree, happy…" Krad trailed off for a moment, and it struck me, only then, that he had looked like he was in his late twenties in all the pictures I had of him from home. Here, he couldn't have been older than nineteen, and wearing white robes with wings and a cross to match! "I don't know what she saw in me. But I was… drawn; I suppose you could say, to her. We were both artists; she a sculptor, myself a painter, and we met at an art show."

"How long did you stay in my world when you…" I paused, trying to find the right word, "visited?"

"Months," Krad said, "I would visit between tamers; I had something of my own form in that world." I leaned on my scythe, suddenly wary as to what he would say next. "When I met her, she was brushing her hair out of her eyes at a New York exhibit, and was trying to maneuver a piece through a hallway that was crowded with tables and people. I offered to help her, and she accepted gratefully. From there, things just…"

"Clicked?" I asked quietly, sliding to the ground and sitting with my legs crossed. He nodded.

"Things clicked," he agreed. "We were married a few months later, and you were born a year after that."

"You left us before I was born," I said.

"Yes." He wouldn't look at me.

"Why?" I had to ask, I had to know, I was suddenly going crazy. Krad did not meet my gaze.

"Satoshi was born," he said quietly, at last. "I couldn't have stayed it I had wanted to." I wanted to cry.

"Did you want to stay?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

But an answer didn't come. Krad's silence had a horrible finality.

**...**

AN: And so ends another chapter. Wow, it's been a long break, hasn't it? I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

All I could feel during the connections from world to world, was myself getting tired... I had to rest, I had to sleep... I needed something to walk with. I drew my staff, and used it to help me. Sadly, soon after, I felt myself black out.

I woke up to two different voices, and I soon realized I was somewhere else. "Dark... if she finds out…!"

"Calm down Daisuke. We just need to tell her. It'll be over before you know it..."I imagined Daisuke pouting, not amused what so ever by my father's plan. I opened my eyes and sat up.

"Tell me what..?" I asked warily.

"Oh, Monica you're up..." Dark said. I nodded. A fox came out from next to Dark, making me jolt. "Monica, this is yours. Her name is... Well, whatever you want to name her I guess!" I looked at the fox as it came to me... I stroked its ears, receiving a purr from it. It might not have been a fox, but it had its qualities...

"Oh umm..." I really didn't know a name of the top of my head! "Ummm..." Daisuke smiled as he watched me. The fox whined when I stopped scratching her ear. "How about... Peace..?"

"Sounds good," Dark said. He couldn't really be Dark from DN Angel. But Daisuke now had me convinced. This was a dream. A DREAM!

"This is... Just a dream... Right..?" He looked at his hands, avoiding my gaze. I shot a dagger from nowhere, nicking him in the shoulder. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"

"You really do have your uncle's temper..." I glared at him. He pulled the dagger out.

"Wait... Uncle?"

"Krad."My eyes went wide slowly. This... Was REALLY a dream... "Now: There are rules to follow. No hurting me, Or Daisuke. Or the Hikari's. AND DEFENITLY NOT YOUR COUSIN!"

"My what?" I growled.

"Krad's daughter. How about we head over there?"

"Satoshi!" Daisuke smiled at the name.

"No... NO! I'M NOT GOING!"

"I'll help you, Miss Monica." Daisuke offered, holding out his hand. It took me a few seconds to take his hand. Dark smiled.

"Come on." This time, he opened a portal. I instantly clung to Daisuke, who fell over. We stood back up, (since he had pulled me down) and stepped through after Dark.

…

I looked at the girl... And at Krad... And Satoshi...? Taking some steps back, I crashed into Dark. "Monica, don't be shy-OOF!" I stuck my face in his chest, blushing.

"Looks like you're daughter's shy, Mousy." Krad's chilling voice made me jolt.

"So what if she is!" Dark spat back. I clung to his shirt. "Right right... It's okay..."

I looked back at the girl. She looked back at me, then at Dark, then back at Krad. "There's no way that's my uncle."

"Sadly, it's true," Krad said.

"That's right!" Dark stretched. "And this is your cousin, Monica!" He said pushing me forward lightly.

"Um... Hi. I'm Monica... What's your name..?"

"Nevaeh," she said calmly. The dog at her feet growled slightly. "And this is Goth."

"Whoa, whoa whoa... Did you say Nevaeh? I have a friend named Nevaeh!" Peace sat next to me. "This is Peace, by the way." I let the dog sniff my hand.

"Uhhh... Monica...?" Dark sounded nervous.

"Shh. Trying to see if the dog trusts me." I told Dark. Peace growled at Goth. "Peace! Bad girl!" She lay down, and bared her teeth instead.

"Really?" Nevaeh said without interest, "I was unaware there were others with my name. But... Monica sounds familiar too." Goth, meanwhile, was snarling at Peace. Nevaeh smacked him gently with the long shaft of her scythe.

I smiled. "Think your dog likes me?" I asked. Peace sniffed Nevaeh's hand quickly before licking it. "AW! She likes you!" Dark glanced at Krad, before they both went somewhere to talk. I sat down, making myself comfortable on the floor. Peace wagged her tail, as she lay next to me, not at all pleased with Goth what so ever. "Peace, you be nice! So... We're cousins?"

Nevaeh shrugged. "Apparently. Look, it's not that I'm exactly unhappy to see you... but..." she stopped; then tried again. "Isn't this a little odd?"

"If you mean... Being here and such." I replied, "Yeah."

"No," Nevaeh said softly, "That's not it, though it is strange. What I'm wondering is how we got here? Why do I have these wings? And why can't I go back?"

"That is strange... I have a staff... And a Barrier Jacket. I want to go home..." I said, feeling like I was going to cry. "Like I said... I'm Monica. Monica Cregg."  
>"Nevaeh Kastelic," Nevaeh said coolly. "Pleasure to finally meet you... I suppose." Goth snarled at Peace again, and Nevaeh hit him with her scythe. "Goth, quit it," she snapped absentmindedly.<br>Peace got up and tried to attack Goth just as I was about to say something.

I growled slightly. "PEACE, HERE! NOW!" She looked at me, her tail went between her legs and she walked to me. "I'm SO sorry!" I gripped Peace's collar. "You have the exact same name as my friend from the U.S..."

Nevaeh sighed. "That's probably because I _am _your friend from the U.S., you dolt." But the grin on her face told me she didn't mean the insult. "Like I said, pleased to meet you."

I blinked. Then blinked again... "N...N... NEVAEH!" I hugged her tightly, making Goth snap at me. Peace instantly bit Goth, but backed off when I hit her with my staff. Nevaeh looked down at Goth, and then touched the spot where Peace had bitten him. Her fingers were instantly coated in a blood red light, and when they came away, there wasn't so much as a hair out of place on his coat. She said nothing.

I pulled away from her. I looked at Peace, who trotted off to find Dark. "Peace!" She huffed and left. I sighed. "I'm NOT used to this..." I looked at Goth. "Nice puppy..." I said as I scratched his ears. "She didn't mean it. She's just a bad girl today."

Nevaeh started slightly. "What? Sorry... I was listening to something."

"No... I'm not used to it." I said sadly. "Not used to having Dark as my dad... Not used to my new body.. Not used to anything. Where are Dark and... Uncle Krad...?" I stumbled over the title.

"So you don't refer to him as a father either," Nevaeh said gently. "Well." Then she looked at Goth. "What happened to me?" Goth growled lightly. Nevaeh uttered a soft 'oh'.

"No. I don't. It's Dark!" I sighed. "FROM DN ANGEL! IT'S WIERD!" Just as I finished that, he walked in with Krad again. "Dark..." He sighed and Peace came out from behind him.

"We're leaving. Let's go."

"W-What!"

"Krad," Nevaeh said quietly, "I need to talk to you." Krad nodded and she followed him away, leaving me alone with Dark.

"Let's go." He grabbed my arm. I jerked it away. "MONICA!"

"I will NEVER take you as my father!" I yelled, running away.

"MONICA!" He didn't chase me though.

I hid in a room at Satoshi's place. Dark was long gone now, and he'd probably told Krad I was hiding somewhere... I hugged my knees and cried some more. Peace was with me, and rested her head at her paws, staying by my side. After a while, I heard Nevaeh knocking at the door.

"Open the door," Nevaeh said, "I've got news, and it's not exactly of the good variety."

I opened the door, let her in, and closed it right after. "What's wrong..?" I asked, my voice rusty.

Nevaeh sighed. "The good news first, because it's about you. You and Peace are like Dark and Wiz. You're on the right side of the blue line." She paused, and her scythe appeared in her hand. She leaned on it heavily. "Goth and I... We aren't. Goth's a hellhound. I'm a... a…" she stopped again, and couldn't say anything else.

"I thought... Since Krad was an angel... We'd be..." Peace's words cut me off.

"Mistress, it isn't like that. As you can see, Krad's got the heavy demonic side to him, where as Dark doesn't." I nodded.

"Nevaeh..." I started. "I... I don't want to leave you guys... Why can't we stay together?" I felt like crying again.

Nevaeh looked at me, and there was pain in her black eyes. "I'll kill you," she said simply. Then she shrugged. "I've already tried to kill Satoshi today, I can see through walls and my own eyelids, and..." she trailed off and put on hand against the wall nearest to her. A small, blood-red portal swirled around her hand. "I can do that. I will _kill you _Monica. I'm a Reaper, apparently." She sighed, leaned on her scythe, and laughed. "What a fan-fucking-tastic friendship, huh?"

"N-Nevaeh..." I said. Okay... Now I was scared. "I'll... Go... then..." I stood up, but stopped dead as I was pinned to the wall, Nevaeh's long and deathly sharp scythe at my neck. "N-Nevaeh..?" I asked, feeling some blood drip from my neck. Peace growled uncontrollably next to me, bearing her teeth. "Peace, I'm fine!"

Nevaeh's eyes flickered unsteadily from psychotic hate to absolute fear. "I - I don't... Can't... dammit..." She shuddered violently. Suddenly, Peace leapt at her. Nevaeh lurched backwards, then stared at the scythe, then back at me. She took two steps back, then turned and ran. Goth followed her.  
>I fell to my knees. After a few minutes, I got up and ran out the doors, teleporting to where Dark was.<p>

Once there, he healed me. "You should have followed me. I would've told you." He said. I glared at him. "Honey, I haven't seen you in forever-"

"DON'T EVEN CALL ME HONEY! YOU'RE NOT MY DAD! I WON'T BELIVE IT!" He sighed.

"You're such a suck up."

"What..?" I glared.

"Nothing." He said. I sighed and rested on my staff.


End file.
